Coaching means different things to different people. In essence, coaching is a conversation between two people that aims to help the person being coached to achieve personal goals.

Coaching has evolved in response to a need. Its roots can be traced back to personal development and self-help techniques that began to gain prominence, particularly in the USA, in the 1930s.

With the growth of the global economy during the second half of the twentieth century, the rapid expansion of sports coaching and the development of various forms of therapy and analysis since the second world war, the concept of life coaching emerged during the 1980s as a more holistic alternative.

Coaching, unlike counselling and other forms of therapy, is about looking forward to achieve aspirations rather than looking backwards to resolve problems. The role of the coach is to support the client in achieving their goals by focusing on results and concentrating on actions.

Effective coaching will give the client confidence and help him or her make choices that deliver self-satisfaction, effectiveness and a more fulfilled life. A competent coach will help the client to visualise what they really want from their life and focus their thinking, learning and actions to achieve it.

The primary advantage of using a professional coach is that coaching helps people achieve goals and realise dreams they previously believed to be impossible – but it is important to remember that the route to achieving that goal lies within the client, not within the coach.

For coaching to work, the client needs to approach the relationship with a recognition that there is something in their lives that they wish to address; they need to be ready to accept help that can inspire a change for the better in their life. The coach is simply a facilitator, working in partnership with the client.

When an individual, or an organisation, decides to seek the support of a coach it is because they believe they want to tackle a particular issue to improve the quality of their life or the quality of the organisation.